Jul. 16, 2008

Katharine Amalfitano, a carhop at Dairy Land, delivers an order of mushrooms and a vanilla malted to Paul Reeves. / LISA MILLER/NEWS JOURNAL

What it's like there: Let's Eat! reader Edith Buzzard said Dairy Land is a delight. "Wonderful food, great carhops to serve you -- rain or shine. Stop by, you too will love it," she said. Thanks for the tip, Edith. I've visited the Springmill Street shop before, but in celebration of National Ice Cream Month, I was there after Saturday afternoon's monsoon. She was right: The carhops were dodging raindrops to deliver burgers, fries and more. The Smith family owns the business. Donna Smith said her mother-in-law, Theresa Smith, opened the original root beer stand in 1946. Donna said her husband, Dean, recalls hoisting heavy trays of frosted glass root beer mugs.

What's on the menu: The shredded chicken sandwiches, which Dean makes from scratch, coneys and ice cream are all big sellers, Donna said. They also use fresh hamburger from nearby Weidle's Meats and Delicatessen. "We have lots of regular customers," she said of the business that is open from early April through mid-October.

Mansfield residents R.E. and Rose Barlow said they've been eating there for five or six years. R.E. said he likes the turkey sandwiches and mushrooms and often gets the daily specials.

"I like the breaded veal," Rose said, noting that she's also a fan of the country fish, French fries and coney dogs.

My shredded chicken and fries were tasty and came in nice-sized portions. In celebration of the aforementioned ice cream month, I had a black forest sundae of hot fudge, cherries and vanilla soft serve. Delicious.

What it costs: A burger, sloppy joe or grilled cheese is $1.45. A tuna salad sandwich is $1.95, a pizzaburger is $2.50 and a breaded chicken breast is $3.20. An order of mushrooms is $1.40, French fries are $1.45, and macaroni and cheese wedges are $2.95. A six-piece, all-white-meat chicken nugget dinner with fries and slaw is $4.55. My $2.30 sundae was small in name and price, not portion. Fruit smoothies start at $1.90, soft serve cones start at 95 cents, milk shakes at $2, banana splits at $2.99, and Arctic Swirls in 16 flavors at $2.55.